Adventures in Reality

Sitting on a Volcano

The Home Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi publicly announced that the Prevention of Crime Act would be used only against criminals and not politicians. Who are the criminals and who are the politicians? Couldn’t politicians be criminals and criminals be politicians? Criminals and politicians are not born, they’re all made. Some are self-made and others seem to evolve into the creatures they are.

Often, people inadvertently become criminals, like the undocumented migrants put on public view in television news now and then, handcuffed, manacled and chained to one another, allegedly abusing their social visit passes by working as GROs at nightclubs and other entertainment joints. Some, seen to voluntarily become women of the night to feed some faceless pimp. Why don’t they show us the pimps instead of these beauties rounded up like cattle? Why don’t they round the pimps up like cattle and put them up for show? Who are the criminals then? Home Minister, Zahid Hamidi, seems to have a problem identifying the bad apples.

Then, amendments to the PCA are anticipated soon, including the much abhorred detention without trial, and denial of legal representation. The supposedly repealed Internal Security Act, appears in a different guise. The days of wool pulling are numbered, the Rakyat aren’t so gullible anymore. We’ve literally got Windows on the world now, thanks to the existence of Mozilla, Explorer, Safari and their ilk. So, whose eyes is the wool being pulled over?

Within the past month, we saw film censorship being used arbitrarily against the viewing of a film on a foreign country. One organizer is charged with showing an unapproved film not vetted by the Censorship Board, privately to anyone interested in the subject. The limits of public information and knowledge are shrinking. The Censorship Board, is at last aware of the purpose for its existence. The meaning of its life is to protect the image of governments, not just our government. Now, they can show the Malaysian public how they flex their muscles to make us more ignorant, close minded and conscience-less.

Rewinding to the aftermath of GE13, crime rates continue to rise, police powers are widening, crackdowns on migrants, asylum seekers and refugees continue as distractions from other economic issues, the threat of GST looms on the horizon, the price of fuel has jumped by 20 sen more ( whatever, the government may claim this price rise is), utility tariffs seem unstable, religious discrimination and curtailment has risen, “Merdeka” celebrations seem unending, showing some insecurity in patriotism levels, more public funds are thrown on these needless extravagances. Stepping on or defacing national symbols like the country’s flag attracts punitive penalties, even imprisonment – according to size of the police boot.

Did the GE13 victory serve to satisfy the ruling party or did it power up the heat, instead? Looks like the seat is getting hotter and the shadows and nightmares of past ghosts, ghouls, zombies and balrogs are closing in to demand debt payment for favors done. The rumbles are getting louder and who knows when the puff will become a gigantic pall of black smoke, of butt blowing ability.